2005
2005 was designated as: *The Year of the Volunteer by the UK government *The World Year of Physics by the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics *The Year of Cork City, Ireland, as European Capital of Culture *The Year of the Veteran in Canada *The Year of Discovery *International Year for Sport and Physical Education *International Year of Microcredit The year 2005 was the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous People (1995–2005). Events January * January 5 – Eris, the dwarf planet with the greatest density in the Solar System, is discovered by a team led by Michael E. Brown using images originally taken on , 2003, at the Palomar Observatory. * January 12 – Deep Impact is launched from Cape Canaveral by a Delta II rocket. * January 14 – The Huygens probe lands on Titan, the largest moon of Saturn. * January 25 – A stampede occurs at the Mandhradevi temple near Wai, India during a religious pilgrimage, killing 291 people. * January 30 – Iraq holds its first parliamentary election since 1958. February * February 10 ** North Korea announces that it possesses nuclear weapons as a protection against the hostility it feels from the United States. ** Saudi Arabia holds its first municipal election in over 40 years, in which only male citizens are allowed to vote. * February 14 ** Former Prime Minister of Lebanon Rafic Hariri is assassinated and 21 others are killed by a suicide bomber in Beirut. ** YouTube, the most popular video sharing website, is founded. * February 16 – The Kyoto Protocol goes into effect, without the support of the United States and Australia. * February 19 – Multiple suicide bombings kill more than 30 people across Iraq as Shia Muslims mark Ashura, their holiest day. * February 22 – The 6.4 Mw Zarand earthquake shakes the Kerman Province of Iran with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe), leaving 612 people dead and 1,411 injured. * February 28 – In Iraq, the Al Hillah bombing kills 127 people at the Iraqi police forces recruiting centre in Al Hillah. March * March 3 ** Millionaire Steve Fossett breaks a world record by completing the fastest non-stop, non-refueled, solo flight around the world in the Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer. ** Four Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers are gunned down in Mayerthorpe, Alberta, Canada. It is deadliest day in Canadian law enforcement in over 120 years. * March 4 – The car of released Italian hostage Giuliana Sgrena is fired on by U.S. soldiers in Iraq, causing the death of 1 passenger and injuring 2 more. * March 8 – Balochistan conflict: The Pakistan Army opens fire on insurgents in Balochistan, in the first armed uprising since General Rahimuddin Khan's stabilization of the province in 1978. in Lebanon that led to the removal of the Syrian Occupation of Lebanon in March 14, 2005.]] * March 14 ** In the capital of Beirut, Lebanon, around one million protesters gather for an opposition rally, a month after the death of former Prime Minister Rafic Hariri, making It the largest rally in Lebanon's history. ** The People's Republic of China ratifies an anti-secession law, aimed at preventing Taiwan from declaring independence. * March 24 – The President of Kyrgyzstan Askar Akayev is overthrown in a revolution and flees the country. * March 26 – Between 200,000 and 300,000 attend a march in Taiwan to protest China's ant-secession law. * March 28 – A 8.7 magnitude Nias–Simeulue earthquake shakes northern Sumatra, Indonesia, with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VI (Strong), leaving at least 532 people dead and 35,235 more displaced. April * April 2 – Pope John Paul II dies; over 4 million people travel to the Vatican to mourn him. * April 8 – A referendum is held in Curaçao on whether the island should become an autonomous country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands or integrate with it, with 68% of voters choosing autonomy. * April 9 – Charles, Prince of Wales marries Camilla Parker Bowles in a civil ceremony at Windsor's Guildhall. Camilla acquires the title Duchess of Cornwall. * April 15 – MG Rover, the last remaining British-owned volume car maker, goes out of business with the loss of more than 6,500 jobs. * April 19 – Pope Benedict XVI succeeds Pope John Paul II, becoming the 265th pope. * April 25 – A passenger train derails in Amagasaki, Japan, killing 107 people and injuring another 562. * April 26 – Syria withdraws the last of its military garrison from Lebanon, ending its 29-year military occupation of the country. * April 27 – The Superjumbo jet aircraft Airbus A380 makes its first flight from Toulouse. May * May 13 – Uzbek Interior Ministry and National Security Service troops massacre at least 200 protesters in the city of Andijan. * May 15 – A passenger ferry capsizes and sinks in strong winds in the Bura Gauranga River in Bangladesh, leaving 200 people missing. * May 17 – Kuwaiti women are re-granted the right to vote after being barred in 1999. * May 31 – Watergate scandal: Deep Throat's identity is revealed by Vanity Fair to be former FBI Associate Director Mark Felt after retiring on June 22, 1973. June * June 21 – A Volna booster rocket carrying the first light sail spacecraft fails 83 seconds after its launch, destroying the spacecraft. * June 28 – War in Afghanistan: Three U.S. Navy SEALs and 16 American Special Operations Forces soldiers are killed during Operation Red Wings when the Taliban shoots down their helicopter. * June 30 – The Spanish Parliament votes to legalize Same-sex marriage, becoming the fourth country to do so. July * July 2 – Live 8, a set of 10 simultaneous concerts, takes place throughout the world, raising interest in the Make Poverty History campaign. * July 4 – NASA's "Copper bullet" from the Deep Impact spacecraft hits Comet Tempel 1, creating a crater for scientific studies. * July 6 – The European Parliament rejects the Proposed directive on the patentability of computer-implemented inventions in its second reading. * July 7 – Four coordinated suicide bombings rock central London, killing 52 people and injuring over 700. * July 23 – A series of bombings hit the resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, killing over 80 people. * July 26 – Mumbai, India receives extremely heavy rainfall within 24 hours, killing over a thousand people and brings the city to a halt for over 2 days. * July 28 – The Provisional Irish Republican Army announces an end to the armed campaign it has pursued since 1969, and orders all its units to drop their arms. August * August 2 – Air France Flight 358 overruns a runway at the Toronto Pearson International Airport and lands into a creek but all the passengers survive. Fox News|date=2005-08-03|website=Fox News|language=en-US|access-date=2016-06-05}} * August 12 – The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is launched from Cape Canaveral. * August 16 – West Caribbean Airways Flight 708 crashes into a mountain in Venezuela, killing 160 passengers. * August 17 – About 500 bombs are blasted by a local terrorist group in Bangladesh in 62 districts. * August 18 – Peace Mission 2005, the first joint China–Russia military exercise, begins its 8-day training on the Shandong Peninsula. * August 29 – Hurricane Katrina makes landfall along the U.S. Gulf Coast, causing severe damage and killing over a thousand people and dealing an estimated $108 billion in damage. * August 31 – A stampede at the Al-Aaimmah bridge in Baghdad, Iraq kills 953 Shia Muslim pilgrims who were celebrating a religious festival. September * September 5 – Mandala Airlines Flight 091 crashes into a crowded residential area in Medan, Indonesia shortly after take-off from Polonia International Airport, killing 149 people including 49 people on the ground. * September 7 – Egypt holds its first ever multi-party presidential election, which is marred with allegations of fraud. * September 12 – Israel demolishes multiple settlements and withdraws its army from the Gaza Strip. * September 18 – Afghanistan holds its first parliamentary election since 1988 with former Northern Alliance warlords winning the most seats. * September 19 – North Korea agrees to stop building nuclear weapons in exchange for aid and cooperation. * September 29 – The 2005 Balad bombings kill more than 95 people and injures 100 in Balad, Iraq. * September 30 – Controversial drawings of Muhammad are printed in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten, sparking outrage and violent riots by Muslims around the world. October * October 1 ** A series of suicide bombings occur in Bali, Indonesia, killing 25 people and injuring 100 more. ** The world's largest bank at the time, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, is formed by the merger of two Japanese banking conglomerates. * October 8 – A 7.6 magnitude Kashmir earthquake shakes Azad Kashmir, Pakistan and nearby areas with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe), killing at least 75,000 people. * October 12 – The second manned Chinese spacecraft, Shenzhou 6, is launched. * October 15 – A referendum is held in Iraq on whether or not to adopt a new constitution, with 78% of voters approving the adoption. * October 19 – The trial of Saddam Hussein begins. * October 27 – Violent riots break out in various cities of France after two young immigrants die in Clichy-sous-Bois while hiding from the police. November * November 2 – The Spanish Congress of Deputies approves the admission to formality of the new Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia with the support of all the groups except the People's Party. * November 9 – At least 56 people are killed and 100 more are wounded in a series of coordinated suicide bombings in Amman, Jordan. * November 13 – Andrew Stimpson, a 25-year-old British man, is reported as the first person proven to have been 'cured' of HIV. * November 22 – Angela Merkel assumes office as the first female Chancellor of Germany. * November 23 – Ellen Johnson Sirleaf wins the Liberian general election, making her the first democratically elected female head of state in Africa. * November 28 – The United Nations Climate Change conference is held in Montreal. * November 30 – Surgeons in France carry out the first human face transplant with Isabelle Dinoire becoming the first person to undergo it. December * December 6 – An Iranian C-130 Hercules airplane crashes into a ten-story building in a civilian area of Tehran, Iran, killing all 94 people aboard and 34 residents of the building. * December 11 – A series of riots break out in Sydney, Australia against the local Lebanese population. * December 12 – Scientists announce that they have created mice with small amounts of human brain cells in an effort to make realistic models of neurological disorders. * December 18 – Chad descends into civil war after various rebel forces, with support from Sudan, attack the capital, N'Djamena. * December 31 – Another second is added, 23:59:60, to end the year 2005, the first time since 1998. World population Births * June 26 – Princess Alexia of the Netherlands, daughter of Willem-Alexander, Prince of Orange * July 25 – Pierce Gagnon, American child actor * October 15 – Prince Christian of Denmark, son of Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark and his wife Mary, Crown Princess of Denmark * October 31 – Infanta Leonor of Spain, daughter of Felipe, Prince of Asturias and his wife Letizia * December 3 – Prince Sverre Magnus of Norway, grandson of King Harald V of Norway Deaths January ]] ]] * January 1 ** Shirley Chisholm, American politician (b. 1924) ** Eugene J. Martin, American artist (b. 1938) * January 7 – Pierre Daninos, French writer and humorist (b. 1913) * January 10 – Princess Joséphine Charlotte of Belgium, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg (b. 1927) * January 12 – Amrish Puri, Indian actor (b. 1932) * January 15 – Victoria de los Ángeles, Spanish Catalan soprano (b. 1923) * January 17 ** Virginia Mayo, American actress (b. 1920) ** Zhao Ziyang, 3rd Premier of China (b. 1919) * January 19 – Anita Kulcsár, Hungarian handball player (b. 1976) * January 20 – Per Borten, 14th Prime Minister of Norway (b. 1913) * January 23 – Johnny Carson, American television host (b. 1925) * January 25 – Philip Johnson, American architect (b. 1906) February ]] ]] * February 1 – John Vernon, Canadian actor (b.1932) * February 2 – Max Schmeling, German boxer (b.1905) * February 3 – Zurab Zhvania, 4th Prime Minister of Georgia (b. 1963) * February 5 – Gnassingbé Eyadéma, 3rd President of Togo (b. 1935) * February 10 – Arthur Miller, American playwright (b. 1915) * February 13 – Lúcia Santos, Portuguese nun (b. 1907) * February 14 – Rafic Hariri, 60th Prime Minister of Lebanon (b. 1944) * February 17 ** Narriman Sadek, Queen of Egypt (b. 1934) ** Omar Sívori, Argentinian footballer (b. 1935) * February 20 ** Sandra Dee, American actress (b. 1942) ** Hunter S. Thompson, American journalist (b. 1937) * February 22 – Simone Simon, French actress (b. 1910) * February 25 – Peter Benenson, British lawyer and founder of Amnesty International (b. 1921) March ]] ]] * March 3 – Rinus Michels, Dutch soccer player and coach (b. 1928) * March 6 ** Hans Bethe, German-American physicist (b. 1906) ** Teresa Wright, American actress (b. 1918) * March 10 – Dave Allen, Irish comedian (b. 1936) * March 17 – George F. Kennan, American diplomat and political advisor (b. 1904) * March 19 – John Z. DeLorean, American car maker (b.1925) * March 22 ** Clemente Domínguez y Gómez, Spanish spiritual leader (b. 1946) ** Kenzō Tange, Japanese architect (b. 1913) * March 26 – James Callaghan, 70th Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1912) * March 28 – Pál Losonczi, 4th leader of the Hungarian People's Republic (b. 1919) * March 31 – Terri Schiavo, American Euthanasia cause activist (b. 1963) April ]] ]] * April 2 – Pope John Paul II (b. 1920) * April 5 – Saul Bellow, American writer (b. 1915) * April 6 – Rainier III, Prince of Monaco (b. 1923) * April 19 – Ruth Hussey, American actress (b. 1911) * April 23 – John Mills, English actor (b. 1908) * April 24 – Ezer Weizman, 7th President of Israel (b. 1924) * April 26 ** Mason Adams, American actor (b. 1919) ** Maria Schell, Austrian actress (b. 1926) May ]] * May 2 – Wee Kim Wee, 4th President of Singapore (b. 1915) * May 13 – George Dantzig, American mathematician (b. 1914) * May 17 – Frank Gorshin, American actor (b. 1933) * May 25 ** Ismail Merchant, Indian film producer (b. 1936) ** Zoran Mušič, Slovene painter (b. 1909) * May 26 – Eddie Albert, American actor (b. 1906) June ]] * June 6 – Anne Bancroft, American actress (b. 1931) * June 13 – Álvaro Cunhal, Portuguese politician (b. 1913) * June 20 – Jack Kilby, American engineer (b. 1923) * June 21 – Jaime Sin, 30th Archbishop of Manila (b. 1928) * June 25 ** John Fiedler, American actor (b. 1925) ** Domino Harvey, British-American bounty hunter (b. 1969) July ]] ]] * July 1 – Luther Vandross, American singer (b. 1951) * July 4 – June Haver, American actress (b. 1926) * July 5 – James Stockdale, American admiral and vice presidential candidate (b. 1923) * July 6 – Evan Hunter, American writer (b. 1926) * July 17 – Edward Heath, 68th Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1916) * July 18 – William Westmoreland, American army general (b. 1914) * July 20 – James Doohan, Canadian actor (b. 1920) * July 21 – Long John Baldry, British musician (b. 1941) * July 31 – Wim Duisenberg, Dutch politician (b. 1935) August ]] * August 1 – King Fahd of Saudi Arabia (b. 1921) * August 3 – Joseph Rotblat, Polish-British physicist (b. 1908) * August 6 – Robin Cook, British politician (b. 1946) * August 7 – Peter Jennings, Canadian-American news anchor (b. 1938) * August 8 ** Ahmed Deedat, South African preacher (b. 1918) ** Barbara Bel Geddes, American actress and author (b. 1922) * August 9 – Matthew McGrory, American actor (b. 1973) * August 12 – Lakshman Kadirgamar, foreign minister of Sri Lanka (b. 1932) * August 13 – David Lange, 32th Prime Minister of New Zealand (b. 1942) * August 16 ** Brother Roger, Swiss monastic and founder of the Taizé Community (b. 1915) ** Joe Ranft, American animator, director and magician (b. 1960) * August 19 – Mo Mowlam, British politician (b. 1949) September ]] * September 3 – William Rehnquist, American lawyer and 16th Chief Justice of the United States (b. 1924) * September 13 – Julio César Turbay Ayala, 25th President of Colombia (b. 1916) * September 14 – Robert Wise, American film director (b. 1914) * September 18 – Michael Park, English Rally driver (b. 1966) * September 20 – Simon Wiesenthal, Austrian Holocaust survivor and Nazi hunter (b. 1908) * September 25 – Don Adams, American actor (b. 1923) * September 27 – Ronald Golias, Brazilian actor and comedian (b. 1929) October ]] * October 3 – Ronnie Barker, British comic actor (b. 1929) * October 10 – Milton Obote, 2nd President of Uganda (b. 1925) * October 17 – Ba Jin, Chinese writer (b. 1904) * October 22 – Arman, French-American artist (b. 1928) * October 24 ** Rosa Parks, American civil rights activist (b. 1913) ** José Azcona del Hoyo, 61st President of Honduras (b. 1926) * October 28 – Richard Smalley, American chemist and physicist (b. 1943) November ]] ]] * November 1 – Michael Piller, American screenwriter and producer (b. 1948) * November 2 ** Ferruccio Valcareggi, Italian football player and manager (b. 1919) * November 5 – John Fowles, English novelist (b. 1926) * November 9 – K. R. Narayanan, 10th President of India (b. 1921) * November 11 – Moustapha Akkad, Syrian-American film producer (b. 1930) * November 13 – Eddie Guerrero, Mexican-American professional wrestler (b. 1967) * November 19 – Erik Balling, Danish television and film director (b. 1924) * November 24 – Pat Morita, American actor (b. 1932) * November 25 ** George Best, Northern Irish footballer (b. 1946) ** Richard Burns, English rally driver (b. 1971) * November 28 – Tony Meehan, English drummer (The Shadows) (b. 1943) December ]] * December 2 – Mohammed Hamza Zubeidi, 59th Prime Minister of Iraq (b. 1938) * December 6 – Devan Nair, 3rd President of Singapore (b. 1923) * December 10 – Richard Pryor, American comedian (b. 1940) * December 13 – Stanley Williams, American gang leader (b. 1953) * December 16 – John Spencer, American actor (b. 1946) * December 23 – Yao Wenyuan, Chinese politician (b. 1931) * December 25 – Birgit Nilsson, Swedish soprano (b. 1918) * December 26 – Vincent Schiavelli, American actor (b. 1948) Nobel Prizes * Physics – Roy J. Glauber, John L. Hall, and Theodor W. Hänsch * Chemistry – Robert Grubbs, Richard Schrock, and Yves Chauvin * Physiology or Medicine – Robin Warren, and Barry Marshall * Literature – Harold Pinter * Peace – Mohamed ElBaradei * Bank of Sweden Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel – Robert J. Aumann, and Thomas Schelling In fiction References Category:2005